Automobile lamp



R. B. BENJAMIN AUT OMOB I LE LAMP 2 Shams-sheaf l Filed Oct. 27. 1920 Aug. 7, 1923. L464,M

R. B. ENJAMHN AUTOMOBILE LAMP Filed Oct. 2'! 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet Fig. l; r

i Fig. 3 is a plan view of the construc-.

tion shown in ig. l;

Fatented Aug. 2?, i923.

- :anuann a. annramm, or omcaeo, trainers, assrenoa re anurairrn nanerarc MANUFACTURING CUMFMY, @F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A COEJPQRATMDN 0F ILLINUIQ.

AUTQMOBILE LAMP.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, REUBEN lB.-BaN- JAMIN, a citizen of the United States residin at Chicago, in the county of ook and flitate of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automobile Lamps, of which the followingas a full, clear, concise, and exact descript on, reference being had to the accompanying drawin forming a part of thisspecification.

y invention relates to lighting devices, and more particularly to automobile lamps.

One of the objects of my invention 15 to provide an automobile lamp in which will be combined in a unitary device a powertul lamp and reflector member for country driving and a less powerful lamp and reflector for city driving, and in which the lamps are so located that the incident rays from one or both of the lamps will fall on both reflectors and will yet be prevented from causing a blinding glare to pedestrians or ap reaching drivers.

urther objects of my invention wlll appear from the detailed dBSCI'IDi'IlOIIUtO follow and from the appended claims.

In the drawings in which an embodiment of my invention is shown; I

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a lighting device embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. i is a diagrammatic view showing the lateral light distribution;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view' showing the vertical light distribution from the smaller lamp; and

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic View showing the vertical light distribution from the larger lamp.

The construction shown in the drawing comprises in a general way a powerful electric lam 10, a reflector portlon 11, aless powertu? electric lamp 12, and reflector portion 13, the reflector portions ll and 13 joinin each other.- llhe reflector portions 11 and 13 may be substantially parabolic in axial section, the lamps being located substantially at the foci. The reflector portions may be flattened somewhat so as to be ellipsoidal iii-vertical transverse section,

as indicated in Figure 1, whereby a desirable lateral distribution of the light rays is secured as shown in Figure 4, in which the linesd indicate the incident light rays and the lines 18 the reflected light rays, showing these light rays as diverging giving a lateral distribution of the light. The dotted line B in Figure l is a true circle, the reflectorbeing flattened as indicated by the diverging of the edge 14 from this dotted line As shown in Fig. 2, the axis of the reflector 13 is inclined downwardly and forwardly, which causes the rays from the lamp 12 which fall on the reflector and are reflected therefrom, to be directed downwardly and forwardly, as indicated by the parallel rays D in Fig. 5.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6 the lamps l0 and 12 are so located that the incident rays from each of these lamps will "fall on both reflectors, and yet so that the reflected rays will not be reflected upwardly in a direction to cause objectionable glare. In this connection it may be stated that the glare of the reflected rays is more objectionable than the -glare of the direct rays, as the reflected rays cause an impression of a glaring surface, while the direct rays cause merely an impression of the filament of the lamp. As shown in Figure 5 which shows the incident and reflected rays C and D repectively, from the smaller lamp 12, the re cted rays D from the smaller reflector 13 Will be directed forwardly and slightly downwardly, while none of the reflected rays D from the reflector 11 will be directed upwardly in a direction to cause glare.

As shown in Figure 6, which shows the incident and reflected rays E and F respectively, from the large lamp 10, the reflected rays F from the large reflector 11 will be directed substantially horizontally, and the reflected rays F from the smaller reflector 13 will be directed downwardly and forwardly, and none of the reflected rays will be directed upwardly in a direction to cause glare.

While as stated above the incident rays from each of the lamps 10 and 12 fall on both reflector members 11 and 13, none of the reflected rays will be directed upwardly, and glare will thus be avoided.

Having thus described my invention, what parabolic reflector portions, two lamps, lo-

cated substantially at the foci of said reflector portions respectively, the lamps being positioned so that the rays from one lamp will be incident to both reflector portions, the axis of one of said reflector portions being inclined downwardlyand forwardly, and the focus of the upper portion being above and rearwardly of the focus of the lower reflector portion.

2. A lighting device for automobiles comprising two adjoining concave substantially parabolic reflector'portion's, one of said reflector portions being located above the other, two lamps, located substantially at the foci of said reflector POItlOIlSvI'GSPBC- tively, the lamps being positioned so that the rays from one lamp will be incident to both reflector portions, the axis of one of said reflector portions being inclined downwardly and forwardly, and the focus of the upper portion being above and fear- I wardly of the focus of the lower reflector portion.

3. A lighting devicefor automobiles comprising two adjoining concave reflector portions, one located above the other, said reflector portions beingparabolic in axial section and ellipsoidal 1n transverse section, one of said reflector portions being located above the other, two lamps, located substantially at the foci of said reflector portions respectively, the lamps being positioned so that the rays from one lamp will be incident to both reflector portions, the axis of one of said reflector portions being inclined downwardly and forwardly, and

theaxis of the other of said reflector portions being substantially horizontal, and the focus of the upper portion being above and rearwardly of the focus of the lower reflector portion.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

REUBEN B. BENJAMIN. 

